The Ashes From The Past

The Burial

Michelle's POV

@3: 30 AM my phone rings waking me and Dennis up

:M: "Hello?"

+ phone operator+ "Yes hello is this Michelle Cooper I'm so sorry I'm calling at this hour ma'am, but this call is regarding your daughter Katherine Cooper's funeral. Now I know we've discussed the funeral details and made sure everything is in order and verified that the date was the one you had chosen correctly?"

:M: "yes it is tomorrow is the service starting at 10AM-12AM it'll be ending with us in the cemetery saying our last goodbye's," Michelle says almost choking up in tears after realizing she has to bury her daughter the very next morning. The phone operator raps up the call with an apology for calling so late and for her loss and a good night hanging up the call

[D] "honey what is it?" "who was it"

:M: "the people from the funeral home calling about calling to confirm about tomorrow"

[D] "oh" reality hits him at that moment I'm going to have to bury his oldest daughter soon "let's try and get some sleep alright?"

Michelle nods her head and cuddles up to him, both falling sleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, they both wake up groggy and slowly walk downstairs and grab a cup of coffee

They hear someone coming down the stairs they both look to see Roxy walking towards the kitchen

{R} "good morning"

: M, D] "good morning sweetie what are you doing up so early"

{R} "I couldn't go back to sleep and I heard you guys get up so I decided to join you guys for breakfast" Yawns

:M: "yeah we barely got any sleep last night either at least I couldn't I don't know about your father though"

{R}" how come mom?"

Michelle sighs trying to figure out how to break the news to her daughter about going to the funeral home today and saying goodbye to their other daughter one last and final time until Roxy puts her hand over her and breaks her from her trance

{R} "mom are you okay what's wrong?"

Michelle starts to tear up and sniffle but finds the courage to tell her about the burial of her sister

:M: "honey today is...?"

Roxy looks at her mother trying to think of what today could possibly be

:M: "um today is" her voice cracking a bit she swallows but her throat feels extremely dry "today Is the funeral for Katherine" tears falling down her face as she feels her weight being lifted after telling her daughter the news

Roxy with no words to answer she just stands in shock to the news

"t-today is the funeral?" Roxy whispers feeling herself start to hyperventilate and tears rolling down her checks she runs to her parents and they all cry in grief

:M: we should get ready the service starts @10 and it's 8 and the funeral home is 45 minutes away"

My mom starts saying she blabbers when she's nervous and she hates being late I go upstairs and pick out a black silk dress up to my knees but it has a long tail on the back I wear gold accessories and minimal make up my hair in a fancy bun and some black heels to accompany my dress I head downstairs and my parents are ready I see the pain and heartbreak from my father when I look at him in the eyes as he goes to turn on the car. my mother was always a strong person but this time she was fighting back her tears we both walk to the car and start heading towards the funeral home.

Once we arrive I walk into the main hall I'm guessing I see a bunch of people I don't know waiting outside for the service to start I guess friends of my parents and Katherine but thinking about it Katherine was everywhere she basically grew up on her own not really sure if she made friends at all, an older woman comes up to me and says "I'm sorry about your sister she was a great kid but my husband kicked her out of our house because she was always crying too much she was only 6 years old poor thing she was such a good little girl very happy" the older woman gave me a smile all I could manage to say was " who are you sorry if it sounded rude it's that most of the people here are complete strangers to me besides the few family members that attended" she answered " oh sweetie don't worry about that my name is Trish I was one of Katherine's adoptive parents well the service is about to start I must go sit down it was nice to meet you and again I'm so sorry for your loss" the older woman smiles at me and walks into a room and I do the same looking down at the ground while walking into the very cold room that had a very nicely decorated casket in the middle of the room

I freeze as I see the casket open revealing my sister she was wearing a very nice baby blue dress and a necklace that looked familiar she looked so different here rather than in person her long black hair was going down to her hips I couldn't touch her because she was already in a stage of decomposition, there was a veil covering her I sit down next to my parents it was my first time attending a funeral I never planned for it to be my sisters but here I am...

A few hours later at the cemetery

We start to throw roses onto her casket which is now closed I look at my mother she hasn't stopped crying since we got into the car my dad always by her side they never got a divorce I always wondered what happened between my parents why he was gone for so long but I'll ask about that another time a better time, the pastor starts to say a prayer after we all say amen they start to lower the casket and everyone stares at the casket going lower and lower into the ground after everyone starts to leave my mom stays watching as they put the dirt in to cover the grave and they put the tombstone in finally going home both my parents head upstairs to get some sleep after the long day and I do as well.

All I can think about is how I was never able to speak or spend time with her some I feel empty inside like there is a piece missing in my heart that no one can replace...